SINGAPORE — Efforts to combat the rising threat of the Islamic State will intensify next year as more players have joined the international coalition against the militant group, but analysts say prospects of a swift resolution are dim unless the United States-led coalition is willing to go beyond air strikes and deploy boots on the ground to meet the Islamic State head on.

In the meantime, despite defections and lower morale as casualties mount, the Islamic State will continue to be a concern for South-east Asia as governments shore up domestic efforts to stop jihadists from travelling to Syria and Iraq and counter Islamic State ideology.

…Mr James Dorsey, a senior fellow focused on the Middle East and North Africa at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said massive defections could handicap the Islamic State going forward.